Happy December Everyone!
I associate the holiday season with rich chocolate desserts more then anything else. So while others have visions of sugar plums dancing I tend to dream of chocolate waltzing. Bad joke? Alright, I’ll stop before I hurt myself.
At the beginning of November I decided to challenge myself and create a few delicious dessert recipes that were decadent yet still moderately healthy treats. Eating well is a lifestyle not a diet which includes clean high quality foods that support your body without leaving you feeling deprived or overwhelmed. To me, this includes desserts. You don’t need to have an all or nothing approach when it comes to eating. Simple swaps and little adjustments can make a big difference in your health and how you look and feel overall. I created these recipes for my clients and for you, to give you options during the holiday season and beyond. For those of you who are intimidated by baking please note that I am not a baker by any means, I just really like to eat. It’s also important to me to know what is in my food. These recipes are simple, easy and require minimal skill, ingredients or effort. My kitchen is literally in a closet and I have zero counter space, yet these recipes still came together beautifully – if I can do it, I have faith that you can too.
First up: Dark Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Brownies
These dark chocolate chunk brownies are the most perfect dessert that I have ever baked. Rich, dense, moist and oh so good. Did I mention that they are gluten free and refined sugar free?!?!
Cue happy dance
This amazing recipe has officially become my go to dessert recipe when I need a sweet treat.
Please note: All of the ingredients that I used when making these little bites of heaven were organic, but I understand that buying organic that can be a little pricey, so just try to keep your ingredients as clean and as high quality as your budget will allow.
Ingredients:
4 madjool dates (pitted and mashed)
1 cup of pure dark maple syrup
1 365g jar of creamy almond butter
2 medium organic eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1 heaping tablespoon of chunky almond butter
pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt (or regular sea salt)
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of organic dark chocolate chunks (minimum 70%) plus some more for the top
What to do:
Pre-heat oven to 320
Line 8 X 8 pan with parchment paper
Beat the maple syrup and dates until creamy (I used a blender for this part to ensure that the dates were completely integrated)
Mix in the creamy almond butter, this will make the mixture extremely thick so slowly add in the almond milk to loosen up the batter and make it easier to mix
Slowly add the eggs
Add raw cacao, baking soda and salt and mix well until fully incorporated
Stir in the chunky almond butter and the chocolate chunks
Pour the batter into pan and top with extra chocolate chunks
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes
If you can resist eating some straight out of the pan before the brownies have cooled you are officially my new hero. I on the other hand burned the inside of my mouth – it was totally worth it.
Enjoy! XXS
Stylishly Zen 